2018 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
10 to 11 am
Bundle up and enjoy some fresh air as you hear about the site’s unique history (a former working quarry) as you get some fresh air! Meet at 21 Hazard Road - the quarry meadow entrance. $5 suggested donation; $15 per group. Call 401.619.3377 or e-mail education@ballardpark.org to register. Drop-ins welcome. Rain date: 1/14.
February 22, 23 & 24
6:00 to 9:00 pm
6:00 to 9:00 pm
13th Annual Illuminated Garden
A Blooming Garden of Lights in the Quarry Meadow - FREE
March 24
10 to 11 am
Spring Equinox Hike
Celebrate the first Saturday of spring with a hike at Ballard Park. Learn about the thirteen acre site’s history while exploring the mile+ of trails. Meet at 21 Hazard Road - the quarry meadow entrance. $5 suggested donation; $15 per group. Call 401.619.3377 or e-mail education@ballardpark.org to register. Drop-ins welcome. Rain date: 3/25
April 21
9 to 11 am
Earth Day Clean Up
Volunteer to give Newport’s Only Nature Preserve a Spring cleaning! We'll pick up trash, prune trails and remove invasives. Clean up starts at 9 am. Great for students who need community service! 21 Hazard Road entrance. Rain date: April 22.
April 21
11 am to 12 noon
Guided Hike
Celebrate Earth Day with a hike at Ballard Park. Learn about the thirteen acre site’s history while exploring the mile+ of trails. Trails are steep in areas so wear sturdy shoes. We’ll end in the quarry meadow where 18,000 daffodils bulbs have been planted. Meet at 21 Hazard Road. $5 suggested donation. Mention “daffy days” for free entry. Rain date: April 22nd.
May 5
8:30 to 10 pm
Sky Gazing with Robert Horton and Scott MacNeill
Robert Horton and Scott MacNeill from Brown University will bring their high powered telescopes to Ballard Park’s quarry meadow to give a tour of the spring skies. Venus will be visible early in the evening and after that we’ll look for star clusters, galaxies, nebulae and Jupiter. $5 suggested donation; $15 suggested per group/family. Quarry meadow. Enter at 21 Hazard Road. Rain date: May 6th
May 26
10 to 11 am
12 to 1 pm
Spring Mushroom Hike
Join expert mushroom hunters, Ryan Bouchard and Emily Schmidt, for a guided hike through Ballard Park. Ryan and Emily will share foraging secrets as well as information about the unique roles fungi play in the ecosystem. There are many mushrooms that favor maple trees which are the most popular tree in Ballard Park. Meet at 21 Hazard Road. $10 donation. Rain date: May 27th.
This tour is very popular and limited due to space. Please e-mail us at info@ballardpark.org to sign up. Please indicate which tour time you are interested in (10 am or 12 noon). ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
Fundraiser
We're trying something new this year... a VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER!
We won't be holding our annual June party, but hope you will make a donation to support educational programs and public events at Ballard Park. As in past years, donational will help us to provide field trips for children to visit Ballard Park. Click on the button at right to donate now.
June 17
10 to 11 am
Father's Day Hike
A great activity for the kids to do with Dad! Start Father’s Day with a hike through the trails of Ballard Park. Friends of Ballard Park staff will host a guided tour of the thirteen nature preserve providing information on its history, unique features and habitats like a vernal pond, woodland forest and quarry meadow. Trails are rugged and steep in areas. Please wear proper footwear. Meet at 21 Hazard Road. $5 per person/$10 suggested donation per family
It is ok to come without your Dad too!
July 10
10 to 11 am
Jenkins Construction presents:
A Concert by The Toe Jam Puppet Band
Bubbles, hula hoops, squirt guns and costumes will get kids movin’ and groovin’. Offering a special brand of hands-on children’s entertainment, the Toe Jam Puppet Band encourages kids and parents to sing and dance along with the band as they entertain with a unique combination of original songs and storytelling.
Seating is on the grass- bring a blanket or lawn chair and arrive 15 minutes prior to the performance to ensure a place to park and time to make your way down to the quarry meadow. Enter at 21 Hazard Road entrance. FREE
July 18
7 to 8:30 pm
A Concert by CHELLEY, BILL & DYL
Whether singing the blues, rock, reggae or pop, Chelley Smith always ties the melodies together with style and soul while Dylan Roy on bass and Bill Cote on guitar offer audiences a swinging good time.
Seating is on the grass- bring a blanket or lawn chair and arrive 15 minutes prior to the performance to ensure a place to park and time to make your way down to the quarry meadow. Use Hazard Road entrance. In the event of rain, the concert will be held Thursday, July 19. FREE
July 25
7 to 8:30 pm
Jenkins Construction presents:
A Concert by The Ravers
They’ve been rocking Rhode Island for 30 years! The family-friendly reggae show features Ravers all-stars singer Carey Bowman, Adam Aleicho on guitar, Ray Gennari on bass, Doug Ernest on drums +others.
Seating is on the grass- bring a blanket or lawn chair and arrive 15 minutes prior to the performance to ensure a place to park and time to make your way down to the quarry meadow. Use Hazard Road entrance. In the event of rain, the concert will be held Thursday, July 26. FREE
August 8
8 pm
MOVIES ON THE ROCKS: Rocky
Sylvester Stallone stars as Rocky Balboa, a struggling boxer trying to make the big time. When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed visits Philadelphia, his managers want to set up an exhibition match between Creed and Balboa, touting the fight as a chance for a "nobody" to become a "somebody". The match is supposed to be easily won by Creed but someone forgot to tell Rocky, who sees this as his only shot at the big time. 1976. 120 minutes. Rated PG.
Seating is on the grass- bring a blanket or lawn chair and arrive 15 minutes prior to the screening to ensure a place to park and time to make your way down to the quarry meadow. Enter at 21 Hazard Road entrance. Rain date is August 9th.
August 15
8 pm
MOVIES ON THE ROCKS: The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride is a 1987 American romantic comedy fantasy adventure film directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner. Adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel of the same name, it tells the story of a farmhand named Westley, accompanied by befriended companions along the way, who must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup from the odious Prince Humperdinck. The film effectively preserves the novel's narrative style by presenting the story as a book being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his sick grandson (Fred Savage). Rated PG; 98 minutes.
Seating is on the grass- bring a blanket or lawn chair and arrive 15 minutes prior to the screening to ensure a place to park and time to make your way down to the quarry meadow. Enter at 21 Hazard Road entrance. Rain date is August 16th.
August 22
8 pm
MOVIES ON THE ROCKS: Bambi
The animated story of Bambi, a young deer hailed as the 'Prince of the Forest' at his birth. As Bambi grows, he makes friends with the other animals of the forest, learns the skills needed to survive, and even finds love. One day, however, the hunters come, and Bambi must learn to be as brave as his father if he is to lead the other deer to safety. 1942. Rated G. 70 minutes.
Seating is on the grass- bring a blanket or lawn chair and arrive 15 minutes prior to the screening to ensure a place to park and time to make your way down to the quarry meadow. Enter at 21 Hazard Road entrance. Rain date is August 23rd.
September 15
7:30 to 9 pm
Sky Gazing with Robert Horton and Scott MacNeill
Robert Horton and Scott MacNeill from Brown University will bring their high powered telescopes to Ballard Park’s quarry meadow to give a tour of the September skies. There will be a first quarter moon, plus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars wll be visible in the early evening. $5 suggested donation; $15 suggested per group/family. Quarry meadow. Enter at 21 Hazard Road. Rain date: May 6th
